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Focus on Advent

New
International Version

Isaiah 49.1-16

1 Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made
mention of my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished
arrow and concealed me in his quiver. 3 He said to me, "You are
my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor." 4 But I
said, "I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in
vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand,
and my reward is with my God." 5 And now the Lord says-- he who
formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to
him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes
of the Lord and my God has been my strength-- 6 he says: "It is
too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes
of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also
make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my
salvation to the ends of the earth."
7 This is what the Lord says-- the Redeemer and Holy One of
Israel-- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to
the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and rise up, princes
will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the
Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." 8 This is what the Lord
says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day
of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to
reassign its desolate inheritances, 9 to say to the captives,
'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!' "They will feed
beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. 10 They
will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the
sun beat upon them. He who has compassion on them will guide
them and lead them beside springs of water. 11 I will turn all
my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. 12
See, they will come from afar-- some from the north, some from
the west, some from the region of Aswan."
13 Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song,
O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have
compassion on his afflicted ones. 14 But Zion said, "The Lord
has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." 15 "Can a mother
forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the
child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget
you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your
walls are ever before me.

How do you know whom to marry?

When we marry, we are saying, “I have found
intimacy with this person. This is the one I want to share my
life with.” Next to deciding to become a Christian, whom you
will marry is the most serious decision that you will make, and
its impact will last a life time.

So what are some guidelines that could help
in making this most important decision? I believe that there a
few questions that could help us along the way.

How do you get along with your mom and
dad? It goes without question that the unfinished business that
exists in your relationship with your parents you will bring
into your marriage. The person you are considering marrying
probably has many qualities that are like your opposite sex
parent. The question is, can you identify those characteristics
and are they positive or negative. It is not uncommon for a
daughter to seek after a man who is like her father in
temperament, even if that temper is explosive, because that is
what is normal for her. She may not necessarily like that, but
she is familiar with it and familiarity seems a lot safer then
something different.

Another question from your family of origin
is: How did your parents resolve conflict? Did you see them
fight? Did they come to a resolution that was agreeable to
both, one, or was it ultimately ignored? How does/did the
parents of the perspective spouse deal with conflict? If one
family is highly vocal and the other deals with conflict very
logically, it could cause a problem. How do you and your fiancé
resolve conflicts?

What about personality differences? I give
the Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis for personality traits
during pre-marital counseling. This examines nine personality
traits. The purpose of the test is to help the individual to
see attitudes and behavioral tendencies which influence
personal, marital, parental, family, scholastic, and vocational
adjustment.

If you were to ask, “What are the three
things that couples fight most about?” the answer would be
MONEY, SEX and HOUSEWORK. You might want to look at these
issues.

Money; Who is going to make it, both the
wife and the husband? When children come along (assuming they
do), will the wife continue to work? Who will take care of the
bills? How do you spend money? Will there be a budget?

Sex; Yes, you will have it, but how often?
Couples fight most about the frequency. If there have been
other lovers in the past, STDs and treatment need to be
explored. What type of birth control will be decided upon?
There are many other issues, but they will be addressed in
another column.

Housework; Whose job is it? Who is going
to do what? Again, looking back at what happened in your family
of origin will help reveal what will happen in your own family.
It’s true that just because a pattern was set in your own family
doesn’t mean that it can’t be changed. However, that change
must be a conscious, constant, and considered effort. Within
Mark’s home he did the dishes a lot as a kid. Today he still
does the dishes. (Hopefully this will never change).

Last, but certainly not least, the question
must be posed: Are we spiritually compatible? In other words,
is she/he a Christian? In 2 Cor. 6:14-18 Paul commends that
Christians not be yoked to unbelievers. I understand that this
passage pertains to business partners, but how much more
important that we have as our life partner someone whose
fundamental basis (a world view) is the same as ours. It is
this basis from which all other decisions should be made.

Marriage is a wonderful, God given gift.
That doesn’t mean it’s not a lot of hard work. When we are more
compatible with one another in background, personality and
theology, then intimacy, the sense of oneness, is much easier to
achieve. The journey of life together can be an awesome
adventure.

Roberta Mangano, Counseling Minister,
Lincoln Christian Church

Immanuel Lutheran Church is
proud to announce that Pastor Andrew Nyren is joining our church
family.

Pastor Andrew is the son of
David and Judy Nyren from Iowa City, Iowa.

Pastor Nyren received a
bachelor of Arts Degree as a high school history teacher from Luther
College in Decorah, Iowa. He received his Masters of Arts, studying
church history, in Theological Seminary from the University of
Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa.

Following his studies in
Dubuque, Pastor Nyren received his Master of Divinity from Lutheran
Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota May, 2008. Pastor Andrew Nyren was
ordained Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008 at Bethesda Lutheran Church in
Ames, Iowa. He began his work with Immanuel October 1, 2008. While
he was working as Director of Education for 6th grade and under at
Bethesda Lutheran Church, the Nyrens traveled to their companion
church in Tanzania. Pastor Andrew and his wife Amy both enjoy
traveling, they have also visited Iceland, Russia and Ethiopia.

Please join Immanuel on
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008 at 3:00 pm for the installation of Pastor
Andrew Nyren. Bishop Warren Freiheit will be presiding with
Communion being served. There will be a reception following the
service in the church parish hall.

Street Signs Point the Way to
First Presbyterian Church

New street signs now direct travelers to The First Presbyterian
Church at Pekin and Ottawa Streets. Founded in 1857, First
Presbyterian Church has undergone at renaissance under the
leadership of the Reverend Phillip Blackburn who came to Lincoln
four years ago.

With previous service to churches in Scotland, Texas, Oklahoma and
Indianapolis, Indiana, Phillip Blackburn brought new style of
preaching to First Presbyterian Church. His sermons are delivered
"away from the pulpit" and at the congregation's eye level.
Blackburn's preaching style is relevant, direct and often filled
with humor.

First Presbyterian Church's worship has been enlivened by the
rebuilding of its historic pipe organ. The rebuilt organ complements
the church's choir, which is led by Ms. Julie Kasa. Both organ and
choir will have a central role in a special Christmas cantata that
will be sung at 10 a.m. on Sunday, December 21.

Not content with its revitalized worship and preaching, First
Presbyterian Church has also reached out the community through
service to flood-battered western Illinois and to Lincoln through
the recent "Together for Lincoln" project. First Presbyterian Church
members helped new students move into Lincoln College and members
are tutoring students at Washington-Monroe School again this year.
The church will host dinners for the Lincoln Lady Railers basketball
team and members are actively involved in the Pink Shutter and the
Lincoln-Logan Food Bank.

One of the most exciting ventures at First Presbyterian Church is
its "In Joy" and "Celebration" programs. People from through the
community gather at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evenings in the church at
301 Pekin Street to worship in a contemporary service filled with
skits and spirited music. Participants then enjoy a meal prepared by
First Presbyterian members. The Celebration program builds
relationships through interactive discussion of the parables of
Jesus. Everyone is welcome to participate in the Wednesday night
program

Jeff Hills has been hired as
Vice-president of Development for Christian Homes, Inc.

Hills will oversee the Office of Development, which is responsible
for raising funds for the ministry of Christian Homes.

After serving 19 years as vice-president of marketing and sales for
Syst-A-Matic Tool and Design Company in Meadville, PA, Hills
graduated from Lincoln Christian College and Seminary in 2007. While
earning a degree in general ministries, Hills was selected as the
LincUp honor student for the class of 2007.

“Hills comes to us at a crucial time,” noted CEO Tim Phillippe. “A
growing number of older adults are unable to pay for the skilled
nursing care they need. “We rely on gifts from our donors to assist
our residents who can no longer pay for their care. Christian Homes
is committed to allowing residents to remain in our skilled nursing
facilities, regardless of their ability to pay.”

Christian Homes, headquartered in Lincoln, has been a leader in
Christ-centered services to senior adults since 1962. The company
employs a staff of 2,400 and provides independent and assisted
living, rehabilitation therapy, dementia care and skilled nursing
care to more than 2,500 older adults at 14 senior living communities
in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri.

Thank you
for being with us from the beginning and faithfullysharing a measure
of your time, talents, and resources with theHarvest of Talents for
World Hunger ministry that now celebrates itsSilver Anniversary!!

At Monday
night’s City Council meeting, Harvest Founder, Pat Snyder,and
Harvest Chairperson, Carolyn Neal, graciously accepted a
specialProclamation from City of Lincoln Mayor Elizabeth Davis-Kavelmanthat
officially proclaimed the fourth Saturday of October 2008 as‘Harvest
Day’ in Lincoln. The Mayor commended the efforts of thoseinvolved
with seeing the Harvest welcome its 25th anniversary

As it has
been throughout history, God continues to call ordinary people to
make an eternal difference in our world. We invite you to be a part
of this cultural change by participating in the live nation-wide
Focus on the Family's Truth Project Simulcast Training Event. We
believe this one-day eventrepresents the possibility for
exponen1tial change within the body of Christ, as we expect that
tens of thousands will be transformed by this curriculum.

Back-to-school
is looming in the air for most people right now. From buying up
crayons and pencils for the youngsters to packing up that
college-bound youngster of yours for the first time. And when a lot
of us take time to think about the hustle and bustle of preparing
for school this time of year, those are the situations we normally
think of first.

Lincoln
Christian Church is thrilled announcing Don Kauffman as the
unanimous recommendation of the elders to their congregation to
serve as a Student Ministry Team Leader (Youth Minister).
Lincoln Christian Church is excited about the addition of Don to
their staff team. They believe God has called him as their Student
Minister and has uniquely prepared him for this time.

A
preacher once asked comedian and actor George Burns for advice;
“You’re so good with audiences, Mr. Burns, and you hold their
attention so well. Do you have any advice for a preacher?” He
answered, “My advice is to have a good beginning, and good ending,
and then keep them as close together as you can.”

Together for
Lincoln is a partnership consisting of over 15 area churches who are
committed to work together to share the love of Jesus Christ by
serving our community. Our first day of service will be on Sunday,
September 28, 2008. On that day, we will send dozens of teams into
the community to do everything from building wheelchair ramps for
individuals to visiting members of our community who are in the
nursing home. The day will conclude with a community worship
gathering in the evening.

Ephesians 5:19-20 says we are to “speak
to one another with songs, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make
melody in your hearts to the Lord, always giving things to God the
father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We
praise God for His works.

There’s
something about fire that mesmerizes us, attracts us, draws us in.
Its raw power and energy has amazing potential to be used for
good—to heat our homes, to give us light, to cook our food, create
spaces where we tell stories and connect with each other—and also to
destroy as it consumes whatever we throw into it. It’s untamed, we
can’t understand it, and it carries the potential to break out into
something so totally beyond us. It’s a thing of awe, a thing of
terror, a thing of beauty and a thing that has often inspired
worship.

We desire old, vintage, nostalgic
things’ they’re things we want. I love the look of old movie
theaters, the smell of old books, the glimmer of classic cars, the
design of old posters and the simplicity of a boy shooting his eye
out in A Christmas Story.

I
talked with a friend this week about an opportunity she had to help
a guy clean his house. It may not sound that monumental, except his
house hadn’t been cleaned for SEVEN years. Something had happened,
and his life as he had known it ended. Maybe something died, or
shut down, but stuff started to pile up—garbage, dishes, papers,
clothes—until it felt overwhelming. His friends didn’t know how bad
it had gotten, he hadn’t shown them, or maybe they just never
stopped by. My friend was the first in a long time. They spent six
hours cleaning, just so they could clear a path so the appraiser
could walk through the house. It’s not finished, and there’s a
whole lot more to do, but it’s a start.

I
had spoken at a family conference
and explained and illustrated Bible truths about how a
parent can “turn around” a rebellious teen.
-- A man came up to me and
said, “How did you discover such amazing truths?” I replied,
“The Bible is the mind of man’s Creator revealed to man. In
the Bible God gave to man every key truth man would need to
live human life. Our difficulty is in receiving and
believing ALL of those truths. But each truth we believe
opens up another set of truths. And each one of those opens
up another set, etc. etc.”